Through Haseo's Eyes
by E. E. Solomon
Summary: This is my first fanfiction and firstperson. x.x Rated for language. Aaaaaand, cancelled.
1. Eight Months Later

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this stuff, but I worship the people who do. If I did own it, none of you would bother to play the games/watch the anime/read the books. Trust me.**

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It had been eight months since I'd first logged into The World. Six months since Shino was sent into a coma. That was why I was still here. I had to get her back. I had to kill Tri-Edge. To do that, though, I would have to find him, first. I could check the boards any time. So, instead, I thought I'd go out to one of the fields and see if there was anything good to train on, or if there were any PKs hanging around. Player Killers...I honestly couldn't stand them. Probably because of the first time I ever logged in. I'll bet those two bastards are sorry now that I've made a reputation for myself.

I randomly chose three keywords--they weren't too important, after all, since there were few areas that had strong monsters--and warped into the area. It was a barren wasteland, made of rocky cliffs and with loose dirt flying everywhere. That's when I saw them down below: a large group of Player Killers taking out a couple of apparently low-level characters. Perfect. I needed something to take out my anger on, after all. As I made my way down, I couldn't contain my laughter. Doing this kind of thing was always satisfying to me, even though I'm not quite sure why.

Ha! They were too damned busy with their own "work" to even realize I was walking right into their midst. "What an idiot!" I heard the line from one of them. She really deserved to have that turned right around and thrown back at her. No use dwelling on the thought, though. Time to start the fun. I took what seemed to me to be my own good time lifting up my character's leg and shoving it forcefully into the nearest player's back, effectively knocking him over with another of his little buddies and gaining the attention of the rest of them. That's when it really began. "Ah...The Terror of Death!...It's Haseo, the PKK!" "What...?" Good to know at least one of these idiots recognized me. Like a prelude to their doom. Heh. Time to start enjoying myself now. I smiled wickedly, I simply couldn't contain the excitement flowing through me as I drew my blades. As soon as they were out, they started making a high-pitched mechanical sound caused by the smaller blades along the edges of it. Magnificent. I didn't even have to think after that; I simply rushed forward and started picking them off. The first one made a few shouts and screams, but didn't last long at all, so I moved on to the nearest ones after that. Two right next to each other. Why were they all just standing there watching? What idiots! They were making this far too easy. Well, at least those two _tried_ to block me. Haha...

As I rushed onto the next one, the one who had shouted "What an idiot" as she'd finished killing off one of the other players, she actually managed to hold her sword up against me. She must've been on a higher level than the other losers around. Wait, something was...Above me! There was one coming down from above me! Clever little bastards. Too bad it wasn't clever enough. I jumped back before he got too close to me, so it was a fruitless effort on their part, at best. They'd managed to get me right in the center of their little circle. Too bad for them, though, that was a perfect position for me! These idiots should really research who they're fighting...I quickly withdrew my twinblades and instead took out a scythe, used by the Flick Reaper class. A good name; the scythe effectively knocked back all the clueless assholes around me in a matter of seconds.

Still, I had to take the time to actually get the weapon all the way out. I had attacked upon drawing the scythe, after all. That gave a few more of them to circle from above and try the same thing that one idiot had tried before, only of course in a circle. What was it with these guys and circles? They couldn't very well change their position in midair, though, so I jumped up and spun around, taking them out, too. Pathetic! Not only were these people complete and total idiots, they didn't even have well-leveled characters! I guess their only strength was in numbers, like a bunch of stupid cockroaches nesting in the wall. But, like all pests, someone would find and kill them all someday. I found them first. Lucky me, heh.

What the-!? The one who'd been working with that woman who'd blocked me before actually managed to catch me offguard in the middle of my thoughts there. Too bad he was screaming like a madman while he was at it. Even though there was no way to keep my weapon in my hands, it still gave me time to prepare a spell scroll and effectively catch him off guard this time, then blast him in the face. It's at times like this that I wish you could knock someone's head off in this game; those bastards would've deserved it. I heard yet another yell coming from behind me. Didn't these guys ever learn? And with a slow class like that? Stupid. He did manage to change my facial expression a little, but it was more of a twisted glare. Hmph. I just had to jump back, just a little, to avoid that attack, even though I felt like getting my distance. He came rushing after me. Trying the same thing again? "Heh!" I couldn't keep that one in my mind. This was just too much! I jumped back in time to avoid his attack, again. The blow was too large for his character to readily recover from, so that gave me more than enough time to draw my final weapon, an Edge Punisher's sword with devices like those on the twinblade weapons I'd been using earlier...only bigger, and sharper, and louder. I loved that weapon more than any of them.

He tried it again, only from the air this time. These people were like robots! Just doing the same thing, over and over, and hoping it would work. I brought my blade against his weapon and not only blocked the attack, but kept him in midair. He must've had a really low level. Well, whatever. It was time to stop enjoying it and get the thing done before I got too angry with how...pathetic these idiots were. It knocked him back, off of my blade, and then brought it down on top of him, effectively killing him off. Was that all of them? No, that woman was still left...and it looked like she was saving me the trouble of tracking her down. How thoughtful!

She tried pulling the same thing the last guy had. PKs seemed to all be one giant mindless idiot, just scattered in fragments. No individual thought or fighting style, they just swung and hoped they hit something. Well, this one was no harder to block than the other ones, except for her speed. Her strength, though, was a little higher than that of her friends, apparently. She was able to hit my block pretty damned hard. She actually thought she could beat me!? That was it. It was enough for me to get adrenaline from, and bring down her sword from mine. There went her last line of defense against me. Too bad! I swung my sword around violently, letting out a loud cry as I brought the blade to her and knocked her back. She screamed. But if she was screaming, that meant she'd actually survived the hit. Perhaps she was worth hitting around for some information. I, as usual, felt no need to rush to catch up with her. These idiots were all the same. Easy to take down, easy to predict.

"I'm surprised, I didn't think you'd be that strong..." she said, having no other choice but to practically just lay out on the ground before me. Was she actually trying to beg? To try and buy my mercy with that stupid attempt at flattery? "I guess the rumor about you killing a hundred PKers wasn't a lie after all!" No, she was dragging it out too long for it to be pleading. She was trying to trick me, to make me let down my guard, to underestimate her. I should've killed her right there, the little bitch. "Hey, come on, don't look at me like that!" She was trying to act like she knew me personally! That...that little...! "Here, let me apologize. So just take it easy," This was definitely were she'd make her move, "calm down, and..." I kept my hands firmly on my weapon. I'd have to draw before- "DIE!" THERE! I saw her open spot since she was still drawing the weapon. I slammed mine into her and knocked her back, again. She survived a second hit! That took a damn good level. All right, she was definitely worth asking a question or two to.

Her weapon landed in the ground next to her character. She wouldn't be trying anything "clever" like that again. I let my blade hang at her level, below her neck, just to let her know that she wasn't going anywhere. "Tch!" She was looking at her weapon. What a one-track mind. "Do you know Tri-Edge?" If there was anyone who'd know about Tri-Edge, it was most likely to be a PK. "What did you say?" She sounded like she knew him, from that. "He's a legendary PK, shrouded in blue fire. They say players that get killed by him never come back to the game." I had to talk about it as if it were just a rumor. After all, it would be a much more...acceptable method than stating what I knew. Unlike the idiots I'd just slain, I actually knew what I was doing at all times. For Shino..."Huh? Oh, come on now! Don't tell me you actually believe that crap!" She didn't know him, then. "Those old forum fairytales." Her tone was changing. She thought she was getting out of this, huh? She even stood up. Yeah, she thought I'd let her go.

"So, you think you can go up against me, the Great Bordeaux," 'The Great Bordeaux'? She didn't seem so great to me. I guess just a little bit of intelligence would lead to conceit with these players. Even on higher levels, they managed to degrade themselves. "and just walk away like nothing ha-" I was tired of hearing her talk. She, obviously, wasn't. So, I decided to put an end to it. The blade I was holding began to turn the smaller, sharp-edged wheels on itself and make the mechanical sawing noise. 'The Great Bordeaux' simply stood there, mouth agate, and let it go right into her. Pathetic. "Yeah, I think I can." With that, I warped out of the area. There wasn't anything more to do there. "Tch."

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**Well, there it is. :3 My first fanfiction. Or, rather, my first /attempt/ at fanfiction. x.x;; Tell me what you guys think, I might continue this if it's requested. I hope you all enjoyed it!**


	2. Moon Tree and Ovan

Well, thanks to my first review (ever!) I've decided to keep this thing going. So, thanks for the much-needed inspiration! I'm glad to know that someone enjoys my work. :3

Also, know that this'll take a while. I'm planning to cover at least most of volume one, if not all of it, and continue through each volume...eventually. I'll be starting a new save file to be able to keep up with dialogue (though I'll probably add a few changes to it) and the general plot. So, in other words, it's going to take a /damned/ long time. But, at least I'm doing it, right? x3

As before, I own nothing, because it would suck horribly if I did.

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It didn't take long for the delta server root town, Mac Anu, to load on my computer, and soon my character appeared in front of the chaos gate. I'd done it so many times that it was just part of the game. It almost seemed as if my computer were memorizing the fields now, since it didn't take long to load something. I started walking down through the Dome, to head to the Quest Shop. Maybe there would be a good solo player quest out. And I could always just eavesdrop on the conversations I was passing, after all. People would be bound to talk about--"So, it's you. You, the character that stinks of death." What the hell? "The Terror of Death. You're the PKK, Haseo."

What the hell? Why was this idiot talking to me if he knew who I was? Didn't he know I was /busy/, dammit!? Or, maybe...he knew something about Tri-Edge? I decided to at least stop to see. "Players who kill other players...are disgraceful. And, I agree it's terrible how PKs can just strut around The World so easily these days, but is it right that you PKKs have chosen to use brute force to stop them?" Why was he lecturing me!? What an arrogant son of a..."I don't have time for this! Not now." I had to find Tri-Edge! "You have no authority, and it earns you nothing! So, why?" For Shino, you ignorant--"I am the leader of Moon Tree's Unit Two. My friends call me Sakaki." Good for you. "And I'm afraid I cannot overlook your actions." Well, wait..."Did you say Moon Tree?" Had I heard that name before...? "What's that? The name of a guild?" Did he want to recruit me or something? "Hahaha...Sorry, Sakaki, but I've already got enough friends, thanks."

That guy was probably some jaded old man in real life. He sure could lecture like it! I turned around and kept walking towards the Quest Shop. A single, stupid interruption couldn't just pull me away from my goals. I couldn't let it. Not if--"Ah...! Do you always interrupt people like that?" Damn it! Couldn't these idiots leave me to finish my thoughts, at least!? I swear, I--"You know, Sakaki wasn't finished talking to you yet!" GEEZ! This girl..."Ugh..." I turned to face her. She'd get a piece of my..."Uh...?" "Shino!" What was Shino doing here? And...what would she be doing with that other guy? In some other guild? Why wouldn't she have told me she came back? Why would Shino...? "Atoli." What? "Do you know this person?" Atoli? "Uh...No?" She said it like a question. If she wasn't...then..."Atoli?" I had to say it again. She looked so much like her. So much like Shino...

"It's not unusual to meet players with similar characters in an online game like this." Sakaki again. Just the way he was talking pissed me off. "Hm...Just a case of mistaken identity." And that laugh of his! He didn't know anything! Who the hell did that bastard think he was!? "Hey, you...Why don't you just-" PING. "Huh?" A text message...Everyone just seemed hellbent on interrupting my thoughts today. Might as well read it. Delta: Hidden, Forbidden, Waterfall. Waiting at Arche Koeln. But who sent it? Wait, could it be...? I looked up. As if he'd be there. Wait, was that!? "Ovan!" What was he doing here? Ovan's here! I...have to go to him! Without even thinking, I started running and pushing my way past other players. I wasn't even thinking. It was as if I were...possessed. I just...kept thinking, if Ovan were here, then that might mean that Shino was finally back...for real! Not some look-alike. The real Shino! But, when I got there...Ovan was gone. Damn...

"Just hold on a moment!" Now Sakaki was even laying his filthy hands on me. His ignorance of the situation was becoming harder and harder to handle without just...I'll never see this bastard again. I'll just...leave him. It was easy to get his hand off of my shoulder, what with my character's sharp armor. Since I'd probably never meet him again, I decided to send him a nice glare as a goodbye gift. "Why don't you stop acting...a...lete...ool!" Whatever he was saying, he was getting too far away for me to hear it. Good thing, though. I don't think I could stomach even a fragment of another lecture from him. I had to see Ovan. Ovan was more important than anything else. Ovan...that...that meant...it had to mean...

Shino.

I don't know why I didn't run the rest of the way to the chaos gate. I just didn't. Maybe it was because, just a little bit, I was mad at Ovan. But that made me want to see him even more. Why had he left? I quickly entered the keywords--Hidden, Forbidden, Waterfall--and warped to the Sacred Zone, Arche Koeln. Ovan would be there. He'd know about Shino for sure, wouldn't he? He...had to...Why else would he just suddenly appear?

I warped into the area. It still had that magical feeling to it...probably because it was one of the "Sacred Zones" in The World. I don't understand why they were put in. They just were. And the memories...That had to be why Ovan called me to this place in particular. Ovan. That's right. I was here to meet Ovan, not wallow in my memories forever. I turned, heading towards the end of the small pathway that somehow managed to become an area in the game. "Ovan!" So, he was here! It was him that wanted to see me here! Did he know about Shino!? He turned around after I called to him. Still had that feeling of superiority to him. But not like that guy from before. It made me...respect him, somehow, I guess. It was probably just because he revived me when I first logged in.

"It's been a long time, Haseo." He paused. "Or...maybe I should call you The Terror of Death?" Heh. Same old Ovan. He always did seem to know everything, though, even if he didn't seem to be directly involved. I never did know much about him, after all. "You've gotten quite strong--A lot stronger than you were back then." Was he praising me? "Well, I was forced to become strong...thanks to you." There was something about the way he said that, though...that made it seem like he wasn't talking about the same thing I was. "Where've you been!?" "Haseo...Always the reliable one...Ha, I knew I could count on you." For what? What's he talking about? He's walking towards the chaos gate...why?

"When the Twilight Brigade broke up...Why didn't you come then?" I was a little mad...okay, I was really mad for that. He just appears out of nowhere! What's he been doing!? If it's not been anything that would've kept him from coming back then..."What've you been doing the last six month-!?" "I was busy. It was such a small seed..." Is that a metaphor? Or is he a botanist? "I needed to find out what was growing inside." Inside of the seed? Ovan...you're so confusing..."There was only one way to find out. That's why...I decided to raise it." "You raised it? What are you talking about, Ovan?" "I'm speaking figuratively." That helped...a little. But, geez, could he be a little more vague!? Well, whatever. I don't need to know about his little seed. "When you suddenly disappeared, we all just...Why did you disappear like that!?" It was almost like it was because of his disappearance..."After that, Shino..." fell into a coma...I couldn't bring myself to finish it vocally. Shino...

"Haseo, do you want to know about Tri-Edge?" What!? Did he...know how to bring back Shino? "Wait, you know Tri-Edge?" How...could he? Was that what he was talking about before? "Six months now...and Shino hasn't come back to The World," so, he did know about that, "since Tri-Edge killed her. Meanwhile, the real-life Shino is lying in a coma." Of course. How could he not know about that? Shino was so set on getting through to him, after all. "And no one seems to know the reason why." She was always trying to get close to him..."Tri-Edge...He is /not/ a normal PK." "So, you knew! About Shino!" How could he just stay offline even though he knew all that happened!? "Yes, but that's all that I know." Was he searching for answers offline, then? "But, if you were to find Tri-Edge, you might learn something about Shino's coma. You may also learn more about what really happened that day."

What really happened? Was there more to it than just Tri-Edge PKing her? Did he...do something more to Shino!? "And...if you were somehow able to defeat Tri-Edge..." "Then maybe Shino would come out of the coma!" "If my information is correct, he will be back today...at the scene of the crime." "Scene of the crime? You mean...!" He'd be...back? I could fight him, then! Tri-Edge...I can finally kill him! "Delta: Hidden, Forbidden, Holy Ground. The place where Shino was killed." The Hulle Granz Cathedral! He'd be there...it was almost as if it would be just so I could kill him! Ha!

"Yes, finally! I'll get my chance! I swear, I'll bring Shino back! I'll do it, Ovan!" It was even more exhilerating than seeing Ovan for the first time in six months! "Yes...You and I. We're the only ones who can bring Shino back." "We're the only ones..." Yes, it was our duty alone. We had to do it. It was something special. Only us...Tap, click. Footsteps? "Ovan?" Why was he leaving already? Where was he going? "I'll meet you at the Holy Ground. There are some...things I must do." Then he warped out. Well, he'd be there. Besides, it didn't matter. As long as...As long as I could kill Tri-Edge! It was time! Time to go...to the Hulle Granz Cathedral!

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Again, I really like reviews. :3 And, uh...hope you enjoyed this one. x3 I should update soon, assuming another school project doesn't come up. Dx Our science teacher's been feeling sadistic lately.


	3. TriEdge

Here's the third chapter. :3 Updates will probably get slower from here on, since I'll be sitting in front of a computer with a PS2 controller connected to the console on the other side of the room, pausing, typing, and repeating. And I'll be doing all the quests, too. x.x Heh, I really got my work cut out for me now, eh? x3

Disclaimer (again): I don't own this. I wish I did. 'cause, y'know, that'd be rad 'n' stuff. Then I'd own Haseo. And Sakubo. And everyone else. And we'd have all sorts of plushies. :3 I like plushies.

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I warped into the area with Ovan's words ringing through my head. He'd be here again...I'd get my chance! "Tri-Edge...He's coming here!" I started forward into the Cathedral. Tri-Edge would be there. He'd be there, I could finally kill him! I could kill him and bring back Shino. Yes, that was my reason for doing all of this. All for Shino. Shino...That ugly mark would always be there, wouldn't it, Shino?

"There say there used to be a statue of a girl here." "A girl?" It was the time when Shino brought me to the chapel. I could remember it so clearly..."That's right. She was called Aura." "I wonder, why'd she disappear?" "Who knows? Maybe she just lost her interest...lost hope for this world." Shino. I'll bring you back. I'll--PING.

What was that!? That wasn't the sound of a text message...It was that strange sound...Wasn't it the musical letter A? Like a tuning fork? Where's it coming from? I looked around, but I couldn't find the source. Maybe it was nothing...Wait, there's something behind me...!? I turned back around, only to see..."Ah!...GAH!" What the hell was that thing? It just came out of nowhere and knocked me back like that! Wait...Tri-Edge!? It was Tri-Edge! It had to be! Well, whatever it was, it was walking towards me. It looked like a zombie player...He took out two blades. He was a twin-user? "Tri-Edge?" That...that was definitely him!

I had to fight him, here and now! I'd win! "You BASTARD!" I shouted, drawing out my blades. I wasn't even thinking about what I was doing, I was just fighting. For Shino! I rushed forward in blind fury. All the anger I'd been keeping inside for the past six months was rushing out now. All my excitement turned into rage. As I got right up next to Tri-Edge, though, and held my blade out to strike...something was in my way. How was he blocking me? With just one hand!? I was pushed off of his blade so easily. He was...so powerful...No! I had to keep trying! I got back up, and struck at him again, quickly. But...he blocked it again!? Dammit! I tried using both blades instead of just one, but he was able to keep blocking. To make it more humiliating, he was still just using one arm. Damn, damn, damn! "AAARGH!" I tried laying a final blow on him, but he just blocked it and knocked me back again.

So I moved onto another weapon. A broadsword. I drew it, swinging it around madly as the smaller blades began to make that high-pitched mechanical sound. Even though I was far away, I could just build up enough momentum to break through his guard! This was it, I'd lay a blow on him this time! "YAAAAAAAAAAAA--Unh!" What the hell!? Damn it all! How can he just keep blocking me like that!? Why! Why can't I break his guard? How can he be so strong!? "AH!" He used his other arm to push me off of his guard this time. Damn it...! He sent me flying across the Cathedral, took my sword out of my hands! I didn't even land on my feet. Damn it!

"Ah...urgh..." He wasn't even saying anything, wasn't even flinching! Shino, I'm sorry...Can I do this? I don't think...I can..."Damn...What the hell...What the hell are you?" I asked. He didn't look like he was too fond on talking. But, wait! I still had my third weapon. I could still beat him! He'd put away his weapons, so he'd be vulnerable! "Wait...This guy killed Shino! IT'S NOT OVER YET!" I took out my scythe. He'd pay! He'd pay for killing Shino! And he'd pay for underestima--What!?

My...scythe! He just...it just...It's not in my hands anymore! Did he destroy it!? But...how!? How the hell did he do that!? What /is/ he!? "Agh!" He's...got his hand on my head...Is he going to kill me here? Am I going to be put into a coma!? Dammit, I'm sorry, Shino! "Augh!" He used a spell. He sent me to the other side of the Cathedral again. And this time...I didn't have anymore weapons. He was...going to kill me...The bastard. Just walking towards me so casually. He knows it. He knows he has me down for good. He held up his hand. "Huh...?" Was he casting another spell? I've never seen that pose used before. Was it a new spell to the game? His hand dropped back down, opened towards me, and something began to appear around it...

What the hell was he doing? Was this how he killed Shino? It was like a bracelet...Oh, hell...This is it, isn't it? I'm going to die! I'm going to fall into a coma, too! Damn it...Damn it! Taking so long...Hell! Why am I so damned scared!? Damn it all! "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He...he launched it...Why does it hurt? Why does it hurt in the real world, too? Am I screaming? I can't even hear my own thoughts...It feels like I'm being torn apart from the inside. This shouldn't really hurt! It's just a game! Damn it, am I going to die for real!?

Whatever that was...it ended. I was still alive, both in reality and in the game. But...why? Did he just want to bring me to me knees? What the hell was that attack!? Was he still standing there? I looked up to see. He was still there. Just standing there. Damn it, why's my head hurt so bad? Wait...What was that? Something floating...It was bright. I just caught it out of the corner of my eye. That...was...part of my armor? Oh, damn it! Damn it! I didn't want to look down. I didn't want to see the rest of my character. But I knew...And yet, I still had to see it...to really believe that my character was...Damn! My...head! "Agh...ugh...AAAH!" Damn it...what...damn...I was just laying there, wasn't I? Just laying...on the ground...dying...Shino...So sorry...Someone...there? Oh, god, please...help...

Real World

In front of a computer terminal, a boy wearing a headmount display device who was playing the popular MMORPG The World, froze in front of his computer...and collapsed. Haseo, The Terror of Death, had been defeated in two places at once. The real world, and the game.

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Wow, looking back over this, it feels like I screwed up. xD Well, for a third time, hope you all enjoyed! x3 As always, I love reviews. And thanks to all those who gave the first reviews, it's really great to know that somebody's enjoying reading this. :3


	4. Back to level one?

**I'll just bold my little foreword here. :3 Well, it's been a few months...and I didn't update. bowbow I hope all of my readers can forgive me. It was too much of a pain to run between the PS2 and the room in the back with my computer. But, hurray, I've got a new computer and it's practically right next to the PS2! So that means updating won't be a pain in the ass and you'll get to read!...at the expense of my spare time. Be grateful. Rawr. coughyeahright**

"Reboot Complete."

Reboot complete? Did the computer do this...? "Huh...? What the...I was fighting Tri-Edge...but then..." What happened...?

"Continuing Process..."

"Damn it, I can't remember..." What the...hell happened?

"System Reformatting Complete."

"Huh? I don't remember doing that..." Wait...That..."Reformatted? What's going on? What about my e-mails?"

I had no idea what the hell was going on, but if the computer had been reformatted, then that would have meant that all my e-mails would be lost. I wasn't even thinking. My mind was just a foggy haze...The only thing I could think of was, What if those e-mails were lost? I went straight to my inbox. What's going on...?

"Mail Data Not Found."

"Huh!? What the hell!? I would never delete these...! They're all...gone? Even the e-mails I got from Shino...?" NO! Damn it...I can't believe that all those e-mails are gone...What the hell happened? Damn!

"Everything's been reformatted...What the hell's going on!?"

"You have 1 new e-mail."

"An e-mail? Fine, let's take a look." I really wasn't in the mood, but maybe the e-mail would leave me some clues as to what the hell was happening. I still just...can't believe that all of Shino's e-mails are gone. That was all I had left...from her...

"There is 1 new e-mail."

"Ovan!?" Why would Ovan be sending me an e-mail...? And why right after the computer was reformatted? He always did have uncanny timing. I guess that's just Ovan...He says I have two paths before me. What is he talking about? Sure is cryptic...I can leave The World with "safety and shame" or I can stay with "pride and peril." What's he talking about? He'll welcome me to The World again?

Trial and Truth. Whether or not I should quit The World? "You should know better, Ovan." I'm going to go back to The World. And then, I'm gonna get Shino back, no matter what! I returned to the desktop. There was some new news, and new posts on the forums, but I didn't really care. I've never bothered too much with other people. Right now, I just have to focus on getting Shino back. That's all.

I logged in. But, when I got there...

My character looked exactly the same as it did when I first started! "What's going on? Why does my equipment look different?" Then...I remembered. Tri-Edge. Something happened...with Tri-Edge. Did he do this? What's going on? "I'm back at level one!...But what about my items!?" I, panicked, opened up my menu and scrolled through frantically. Nothing. "My member list!?" Nothing. "My equipment!?" Still nothing.

I laughed to myself. "Gone...it's all gone...My whole character's been completely reformatted..." I couldn't believe it. Was this really happening? Damn...

"Hey, did you see that guy just now?" I turned my head. Two players were walking by. Normal, of course. It was just my computer. Nothing in The World was really different. Everyone else was oblivious, as usual. "With the weird arm?" "Totally!"

"Arm...?" I thought for a moment. Were they talking about..."Ovan?" They had to be. I decided to run after him, just in case. "He would know something about this." It had to be Ovan, it had to! He was always in the right place at the right time. He would definitely be here. Definitely...right?

"Hm? Hello...?" Why were these people calling to me? Can't they see I'm busy!? I ran down the streets...So damned many people! Why couldn't they all just disappear!? Get out of my way...Get out of my way!

"Hey, do you know what that guy's job was? I don't think I've seen a design like that." "Sorry, I wasn't looking too closely." "I think he headed towards the harbor..." Anything after that I blocked out. Ovan. That was definitely Ovan. But, the harbor? What was Ovan doing at the harbor? Well, whatever. I still ran after him. I'd run after him until I got to the bottom of this. Ovan will know. Ovan will tell me what's going on.

"Oh my god, that player was really hot!" "Really? I thought he looked kinda creepy...So, you like guys like that?" "Huh!? Where'd he go?" "Uh...I think he went down that alley." Damn! Is he that much faster than me!? How am I not catching up!? (Gee, Haseo, considering you've been standing there while I'm typing this...Oh, right, better not break the fourth wall. coughs)

But as I turned the corner, more trouble. "Damn! It's those plyaer killers!" I turned back around the corner, but stayed close enough to hear them talk. I wasn't really paying too much attention until /I/ became their topic of conversation. "That Rogue that we fought the last time...He really wasn't that bad." What the...! That little bitch...! Not much I can do now, though...Damn it! "Ah...You mean...we're going after him next...?" At least that idiot seemed somewhat shaken.

"Hell, yeah!" Idiot. Damn. "There is no way in hell I can back down...after what happened last time!" Her ego must've been the size of a country. If only...I wasn't back to level one. I could /do/ something about it. Damn! "Wait, what the hell am I hiding for? Why do I have to hide from bastards like them? It's pathetic..." In spite of my words, I ran back to the harbor anyways. I can't believe I'm doing this. It's so damned weak. What would Shino think? She always hated those kinds of violent people, didn't she? She'd be ashamed to know I'm backing down like this, wouldn't she? Damn...Damn it all!

"What the hell's going on!?" I was lost in my thoughts. I can't believe this! Everything's been- "AAAAAAAAH!" BAM. Someone ran right into me. What. A. Loser. Fell over, too. "Gaspard! Are you okay!?" His friend? Great. More people. "Ah...what happened...?" What the hell was he doing!? "...Are you okay?" This time he was talking to me.

I was too amazed at their stupidity to say anything. What the hell were they doing, anyways?

"Hey, are you a new player?" What kind of ignorant...!? "You're a...newb? Oh, I'm sorry. I must've scared you, huh?" Those...! "Hell, no! I'm not a newb, I'm the Terror of Death!" Who /hadn't/ heard of the Terror of Death yet!? Geez! "Terror...of...what?"

Oh my god...How the hell did I get stuck with these people? I would've had a right mind to just log out then and there. "Terror of Death...Wait, you mean the famous PKK, Haseo?" Oh, finally. That took them long enough, though. "Oh, you're a player-killer-killer!" The pink one again. He certainly wasn't that bright, was he? "I knew I'd heard about him somewhere before!...but, I'm pretty sure the player's name was Ha-se-YO." That confirmed my suspicion.

"Are you sure...?" The one in green, apparently the more intelligent of the two, didn't seem too sure about that. The pink one, though...His stupidity knew no bounds. "Yup! Definitely!"

Even though I've never been one to help out an idiot, I still felt the need to stop stupidity for my own sake. "Hey, look, it's me! The PKK, Haseo!" Was there any way I could put it more bluntly!? I was still thinking of just logging out right then and there. No, wait, that wouldn't be-

"Hehehe...Hahaha!" The pink one. Again. He was annoying. Why the hell was he laughing? "Aha...I'm sorry, but you'll have to get more levels before you can say anything like that!" Green one. But what the hell was he talking about!? "W-What? Hey!" More level-...Oh.

"If you're a newb, we'll be happy to teach you the basics of this game." I already know them. Shut up and leave me alone, damn it. "Actually, Silabus-" So that was the green one's name. "-and I are part of the newb support guild, called Canard." He said it like I'd care. "Newb...support guild!?" I'm NOT a newb!

"It's a guild that teaches newbs all they need to know to become top players." "We're actually pretty famous, you know." What the hell...Today was not the day for this. At all. "Oh, yeah! I need to give you our member addresses, first. Here." No, wait, don't-!

"Acquired Silabus' Member Address!" "Acquired Gaspard's Memeber Address!"

Damn it. "Memeber addresses are an address system..." I tuned him out. Oh, man. It's just my luck to get mixed up with a bunch of weirdos. I even lost sight of Ovan. Anyway, right now, I've gotta level back up to become the Terror of Death. ...Well, I guess I'll just hang out with them for a little while longer. At least until I've got a few levels and can hold my own in a dungeon again. This is /not/ my day. "...Look, it doesn't mean they'll join just because you invite them to..." He got an odd look on his face. "Um...Were you listening to me? ;)" That annoying smiley...Well, at least he noticed. Maybe he's not so stupid.

"Yeah, I was listening." I did my best to act interested, really, but I wasn't. At least I already knew what they were going over, so they couldn't pull a "what-did-I-just-say" on me. "You were...? Really?" What, was he not expecting me to, then? "Yes, really! Anyway, come on, you're going to teach me the basics, right?" Playing along seemed like the best option. They obviously weren't going to listen to the truth from me. "So, let's move on to the next lesson!" Take me to an area, PLEASE. "Okay, then...let's go to an area!" Bingo. "Now, invite us into your party and we'll go find the Chaos Gate!"

"Silabus and Gaspard joined your party!"

What was I getting myself into...?

**Kinda short, sorry for that, and once again as I look over it...I think it sucks. x.x;; Hope I did a tolerable job! I still love reviews, by the way. 3 And thank you all for the recent reviews!**


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